Some projects start as graduation work and end up at Annecy. Mahoseka, the music video “Living in a World Without Magic”(Maho no Nai Sekai de Ikiru to Iu Koto) created by illustrator Akiwashi in collaboration with Euluca Lab., has just confirmed it is being developed as a full-length anime film. The original video, which has accumulated over 6.39 million views since its release on July 1, 2022, served as the starting point for what now aims to become an international project.

What makes Mahoseka’s origin special is that Akiwashi took on nearly all roles for the original video: direction, script, character design, animation, backgrounds, 3D CG, and composition. The voices were provided by Natsuki Hanae and philo. A project of that scale by a single person, conceived as a graduation project, and generating millions of views, is the kind of story the independent anime industry needs to tell.

The film is already moving forward with an international structure. The Singaporean studio Kasagi Labo is handling overseas plans, including a support campaign on the English platform AnimeOshi that allows fans to contribute to the film’s release in exchange for club benefits. That campaign will be active until July 8. The project will also have a presence at the Annecy International Animation Festival on June 24, with a panel featuring Masao Maruyama, co-founder of Madhouse and MAPPA, and Tony S. Izumi of Kasagi Labo. Additionally, the team will be present at Anime Expo from July 2 to 5.

No information is available yet on the film’s cast or full production details; those are expected in the coming months as development progresses.

About Mahoseka

Mahoseka is a story by Akiwashi set in the village of Urgalz, where witches live among ordinary people. The narrative follows Haru, a lost boy who on a rainy night is taken in by Sara, a mysterious one-eyed witch living on a floating island above the village. Through small gestures, like sharing a hot meal, the two build a bond that replaces silence with something warmer. However, Sara holds a secret tied to the forgotten past of witches, one that will eventually draw Haru into a deeper understanding of his world. The story was also adapted into a novel by Mamoru Iwasa, published by Kadokawa.

Do you think the film will maintain the intimacy and emotional impact of the original video, or will the longer format inevitably change what made Mahoseka special?